Sunday, 3 May 2015

Do the Right Thing

So this guy says "you just don't get it," referring to my position on Alberta's NDP. Apparently I do not understand the "economy".

Here's what I DO get.

In 2001 the corporate tax rate in Alberta was 15.5 %. The economy was booming. In 2007 it dropped to 10%. Another thing happened in 2007. The first deficit budget. For past 7 years the corporate tax rate has been the lowest in the country, steady at 10% and the province has run a deficit for those same 7 years. Coincidence?

In every budget you have revenue and expenses. As anyone who has watched "Till Debt Do Us Part" knows, if you choose to reduce your income, you can either cut expenses or go into debt. The PCs chose debt. The Wildrose choose cutting services. The NDP choose to increase revenue-from those who can clearly afford it.

Pouty millionaires club.

On Friday PC donors raised $800,000 for the Prentice campaign. These wealthy business people have enjoyed their cosy relationship with the government for decades and now fear they will lose their undue influence. On the same day this fundraising dinner was held, 5 millionaires held a press conference to support the PC party, telling Alberta voters to "think straight" and threatening, among other things, to withhold their (tax deductible) donations from the Stollery Children's Hospital if the NDP is elected and they have to go back to the corporate tax levels of 7 years ago- a mere 2% increase on their profits.

John Cameron of Keller Construction.

"I can't afford a raise in taxes...
Why is it always the corporations?
Why is it always? Why? Why is it me?"
Keller donated $16,000 to the PC party.

It's pretty hard to feel sorry for multimillionaires. It's just a bit hard to sympathize with guys who say "Why is it always me?" when it's clearly never them- they are the ones receiving government contracts and tax breaks. Especially when we live in a
province with the highest income inequality in the country. When these are MEN telling us what to do-in a province with the highest gender wage gap in Canada. When we live in the last province in the country to increase minimum wage above $10/hr. A province that - despite being the "economic engine" of the nation- still insists on a minimum wage that is below the poverty line.

As a teacher, my salary has been frozen for 3 years while the cost of living has increased by over 5%. Tuition for my 3 university students has nearly doubled. Did I reduce my donations to worthy causes? No. Because was raised to do the right thing whatever government was in power.